where there's smoke...

Good news! Everyone's favorite beef-jerky scented Indianian (and his party shorts) returned safe and sound from fire! Of course, as of this morning, he's back out again (Shadow Lake Fire in Sisters, Oregon, follow it here). Thank god he was home long enough for dinner and a few beers with friends at The Cheerful Tortoise.

a rare moment of dean not making robin dry-heave

coral playing coy

dani trying to decipher what kind of situation she's gotten herself into

It was really great to see the kid again. Even after all that has happened between us, I will always be happy to see him. He remains (and I hope he always will) one of my best friends so whenever he comes home alive, I will properly rejoice. So will Shamoo...

They love each other... Can't fight city hall.

I admit though, it was strange to be around him again. In the last three months he and I had barely spent as many hours together. In the two and a half years we were together, we hardly went three weeks (and that was only because I was home in California trying not to die of mono). With him being gone for so long I have been able to start gluing the pieces of my life back together that broke apart back in April (and that I, at the very least, started putting back together in London). The physical distance was helping... Is helping. I still miss his goofy face all the time, but I can feel the shift in myself and feel that maybe we are approaching the relationship - the friendship - we need right now.

(I feel somewhat safe pouring this out to you all here because I don't think he's ever actually read my blog)

Anyway, my roundabout point here is that as happy as I was to see him for a bit last night, I'm really glad he's back out on fire again. For his sake and for mine. Two very different reasons, yes, but I think it's the best thing right now for both of us.

Shamoo sure is going to miss him though!

flame on

"Dispatch tonight, headed to Sisters Oregon. Please pass it on. Don't know much else.... 

I'll keep you updated as much as I can."

And so Smoke Signal is off and running once again! The kid was due to come home in just 6 days after being stationed down in Lakeview, OR since July 14th but I guess I'll have to wait to make that welcome home dinner a little bit longer. Fair enough... Chasing dreams (and raging forest fires) takes precedence over lasagna!

Feel free to send prayers, happy thoughts, good juju, pleasantries and well-wishes to Jared and the whole GFP crew as they run headlong into another adventure!

This summer just got a whole lot more exciting... Again. 

(photo of smokey the bear from the 2010 fire season)

smoke signals

Well before I delve into all things England (or more to the point, before I buckle down and erase enough crap off my computer so that I have enough room to upload the photos of England) I wanted to post a quick update about everyone's favorite wildland firefighter!

So Jared came home July 8th after being gone for over a month and working a total of three fires down in New Mexico! We finally caught up with each other at breakfast this morning before Señor Fuego drove off into the afternoon toward Lakeview, Oregon where he will be staging for the next month-and-a-half waiting for another fire.

Hearing and seeing him talk about life on the fire lines only proves what we've all known for a long time... He loves this. God has him doing exactly what he's meant to do in life and I for one couldn't be happier for him.

So keep the prayers and good thoughts coming in the weeks ahead! I'll keep everyone updated as I hear from Jared (and post pictures as I get them)!

(photo by Jared's buddy Chuck from the 2010 fire season)

smoke and mirrors

Talked to Jared tonight for a little while... He is in absolute seventh heaven out there in the New Mexico fires (except for realizing that he hates the desert - good thing he lives in Portland) and sent me this photo from the road. He may be in New Mexico but these are the plumes of smoke coming from the Arizona Wallow Fire clouding the sunset in the evening sky.

I am so proud of him.

(photo by Jared "Mohawk/Doc" Bandor)

fire man.

You can't tell too much from the picture, but what was the only downside to Jared getting dispatched to the first fire of the season Sunday night? That wicked sunburn only barely visible after some light photo editing. I'm guessing heading into the flames pre-heated is the less than ideal but he made sure to drink a lot of water in an attempt to re-hydrate his sun-dried self.

But more importantly... JARED GOT DISPATCHED TO A FIRE!

All of us were out at Journeys for Happy Hour when Jared's phone rang. It was Alberto, basically the number one crew boss at ASP Fire asking him if he was available - and to be down in Albany, ready to leave for New Mexico at 4:30 the next morning.

Done.

When he came back to the table after the conversation with Alberto he was all but shaking with excitement. He was absolutely beaming.

And so, the season is off and running and fire man is looking at what is so far the biggest fire season in the last decade. Last year was pretty much the worst year to start a career as a wildland firefighter with only 965,620 acres having burned at this time last year. What's 2011's year-to-date acreage? 3,450,882 acres (according to the National Interagency Fire Center).

That boy is in for the time of his life.

time lapse

The time it has been since my last post is, quite frankly, inexcusable. But, since we're being frank here, the only reason I had so much to say a few weeks ago is because the person I usually say things to was gone and now he's back. 


Jared returned from the fires completely rejuvenated. The light was back in him and he was happier, albeit more exhausted, than I've ever seen him. The thrill of the fire was lit in his eyes, his voice, everything. And although he was covered head to toe in wicked poison oak, it was exactly what he needed.


In short, it's been great to have him back safe and sound. And now I'm ready to get rid of him again. By which I mean he's ready to go out on another call. Everything here in the northwest is cooling down dramatically and with the descent of autumn he's getting anxious to get back out and play in the flames again. 

While these aren't pictures from him crew, they are from the View Lake Complex Fire (the second fire he fought) and, he said, EXACTLY what his conditions were like. 

Anyway, beyond that, life has been frolicking along merrily. Work has continued to be wonderful and challenging. Last week we had a wine delivery and with three of us putting it all away, it only took three hours to get from 460 cases of wine down to this one. last. box. 

And since my apartment has become an apocalyptic mess, I decided to forfeit the gym for the day (which I will regret later when Jared and Shamoo go for a run and then do an obscene amount of pushups and sit-ups after dinner) and clean. The anticipation of October and with it the coming of Hallowe'en season has me all wound up like a small child. Should I get this excited about pumpkins and candy corn? Eh, I don't even care. 

I'm totally okay with it. 

fire, fire everywhere

Also, in recent and important news... Jared called me again today. His crew was getting ready to leave the Oak Flat fire and heading toward Mt. Hood where they have been reassigned. This fire is called (to the best of our knowledge) the View Lake (or Lake View, according to Jared but the website I found called it the other) fire. The only information I've found on it is here. This fire is smaller and mostly contained but with so many other crews dispatched elsewhere, ASP has been called in to fill the gaps. To his knowledge, this should only add a few more days to this "deployment".

Continued prayers are always appreciated!


***UPDATE*** View Lake Complex